It’s that time of year again. Everyone has started working on their New Year’s resolutions and feeling more motivated than ever to hit their new goal for the New Year.
Everyone at Functional Advantage is no exception – we’ve all been talking about the goals that we’ve set ourselves too, and what we’re going to do to stick to them. So many of our patients have been talking about their goals too.
It’s important to try and stay as positive as possible and set yourself some small goals, whatever they may be.
Is your new year’s resolution to get fit, or stay healthy and active? If the answer to this question is yes, read on…
It’s never been more important for you to KEEP ACTIVE and STAY HEALTHY. Exercise can help you beat those winter blues that always pop up as well as keep your body moving which is especially important if you’re wanting to KEEP ACHES AND PAINS AWAY!
Lots of people have invested in home gym equipment, joined home workout programs, taken up cycling, or decided to start running / walking in virtual 5k’s.
Whatever you have decided to do, make sure you always stay safe.
Our physical therapist Kelly offered some amazing advice the other day. One of our patients had been experiencing aches in her back after throwing herself into exercise in the early days of 2021.
We thought it would be a good idea to share this advice with our blog readers.
If your new year’s resolution is to get fit, or to simply be more active, then we’re going to give you our top tips to help your body adjust to the change.
We’ve spoke to a lot of people in the clinic so far this year, that have either:
- 1Not been as motivated as they would’ve liked to have been last year (this relates to most of the Functional Advantage team too), but they want to kick start 2021 by trying to get back into some sort of exercise.
- 2Managed to stay as motivated, active, and healthy as possible during 2020, but they’ve taken a break over the holidays. Now they want to keep up their exercise routine, so they feel good for spring 2021.
Can you relate to any of the above?…
One thing we saw in the clinic throughout the course of last year, during lockdowns, was the influx of people asking for our help because they had gone from not doing much exercise at all, to doing a lot all at once.
People that were unfit and were used to being very sedentary were suddenly starting to be very active.
Here’s our advice if your goal this year is to try and get fit, or it might just be to stay active and healthy…
Prepare yourself!
It’s really important to prepare you and your body for the adjustment. Don’t throw yourself into a new training program if you’re not used to it. Don’t try to run before you can walk.
Take your time.
Don’t go straight from A to Z. Build up, gradually phase yourself back in and take your time... Especially if you haven’t been as active as you normally would be.
Create habits.
Instead of starting with a huge goal, that sometimes makes you feel overwhelmed, start with a small goal or set yourself some simple and achievable daily habits.
Don’t overthink it, just get some steps in.
The most important thing is just to get moving. Our tip, if you’re struggling to find a routine or have no idea where to start at keeping active, is just go for a walk! Increase your daily steps and enjoy the fresh air.
We are here for you & we also offer virtual (video) appointments…
During these uncertain times, it has never been more important for you to KEEP ACTIVE and STAY HEALTHY. We’re thrilled that we can continue to offer our essential physical therapy services to people that need our help, via face-to-face appointments and virtual appointments too.
If you’re experiencing aches or pain from exercise and would like some advice from one of our experienced therapists, we can offer you a virtual (video) appointment. Of course, we can’t “touch you” in a virtual appointment, but hands-on is only some of what we can do to help. Our therapist will talk to you in the same way they would if you were in the clinic and provide the same expert advice and guidance.
If you’re in pain and would like to talk to us about getting some help, or if you have any questions please, click here and complete our inquiry form or CALL us at 989-573-8588.
P.S. If you’ve got back pain that’s stopping you from being able to keep active right now, click the following link and you can download our free back pain guide to help you get moving again: www.functionaladvantagept.com/back-pain